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The GOP needs balance

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In public speeches, President Barack Obama (shown with first lady Michelle Obama in New York) typically positions himself rhetorically in the center, weighing both sides of the argument before making the “right” decision, the author writes.
Reuters

People want a check on the president’s power, and polls show that message works better for the GOP.

They should highlight the legislative and ethical excesses of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and company. Having a more robust Republican Party will provide ideological balance and better, more honest governance for the country.

Once Republicans get through the midterm elections, where they will hopefully get more balance in the political system by making up ground in the House and Senate, they should turn to finding a more balanced presidential candidate.

Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain, for all of his political moderation over the years, was not seen as politically balanced. He was more a maverick than a moderate. His volatile personality, alleged volcanic temper and political inconsistency undermined whatever advantage he might have had in the experience department. Temperament turned out to be a key attribute in the last election.

The American people seem to want a candidate who lives a more balanced life, not just one who is an advocate for one ideological outlook but one who can see both sides of every issue and then make the best decisions for all Americans.

Republicans love to talk about the fierce conservatism of Ronald Reagan, but they forget that an essential part of his campaign rhetoric was his empathy for the old Democratic Party. He would always remind the voters that he, too, was once a Democrat and that he didn’t leave the Democratic Party; it left him. Reagan was seen not merely as an ideological warrior but as a man who had a balanced vision for America.

What the Republicans need to counter Obama is not more ideological warfare. What they need is more balance.

John Feehery worked for the House Republican leadership from 1989 to 2005. He is the founder of The Feehery Group, a strategic advocacy firm, and blogs at www.thefeeherytheory.com.

Democrat handwringing over the alleged state of the republican party is laughable, if only the media wasn't taking it so seriously.

As the Obama economy and Obama foreign policy create more and more problems for the country, it will so realize that the lefties in the democrat party offer nothing new despite their rhetoric for "change." When we have a return to a Jimma Carter economy -- ddouble digit inflation and double digit unemployment -- the democrats and Mr. Obama will not look so popular. Just as Ronald Reagan won a great landslide victory over Jimma's democrat sucessor, so will someone emerge to create a similar resurgence.

Statism doesn't work. Never has, never will. The economy is too complicated, too interdependent, and too large for bureaucrats to manage it well. Obama's experiment in state run everything, from cars to insurance to banking to health care won't work either. The only question is how much damage he'll do to the US economy as he plays his fiddle and dreams of the new Mt. Rushmore.

Balance? The most successful modern Republican was Pres Reagan. The GOP should return to conservatism.

Pres Obama preaches balance, but can he keep this pretense up indefinitely ? While his disengenuousness will not be exposed by most of the media, by championing Conservative alternatives, the GOP can show how extreame his views really are.

And in almost every public speech, Obama positions himself rhetorically in the center, weighing both sides of the argument before making the “right” decision.

And it's the 'rhetoric' that matters - not the end result - right? We're rushing through the beginnings of the most massive governmental overtaking of the US economy in history - of governmental intrusions into private and publicly-owned business - of targeting and profiling of US citizens by Homeland Security - of the governmental takeover of our healthcare industry . . . . . and we're touting Obama's rhetorical balance?

What do Republicans have against ideas and civility? A national debate on varying ideas is what America is about. Unfortunately, it's difficult to have a debate based on ideas when one side has no ideas. And, civility and manners are traditional American values. Why do Republicans, who claim to be the party of traditional American values,exclude civility and manners from their discourse?